From the man behind the football king to the football king.

Chapter 993 War of words

Mourinho complained about the Premier League's official schedule, but his words also contained a veiled sarcasm towards Liverpool. Liverpool manager Klopp, of course, wouldn't pretend not to hear, and jumped in to retort: ​​"Mourinho complains about the overly congested schedule? Then why doesn't he mention that they had an extra day of rest between the Champions League quarter-final and the FA Cup semi-final? Liverpool didn't complain about the FA's schedule during the FA Cup semi-final, so why is a normal schedule considered unacceptable when it comes to Manchester United? I get it, Mourinho must have prepared an excuse for Manchester United's potential failure. If Manchester United loses to Liverpool away, then the blame can be entirely shifted to the FA..."

"Moreover, it was also an FA Cup semi-final. Our opponent was the mighty Manchester City, and we fought hard until the very last moment, giving it our all. But Manchester United? They won without batting an eye against a completely demoralized opponent. They even made substitutions beforehand to prepare for our match. I don't believe they expended any energy in this game. It was practically just an intra-squad friendly!"

Klopp not only criticized Manchester City, but also took the opportunity to mock Crystal Palace as well...

The argument between these two teams dragged countless other teams into the fray. Burnley and Southampton complained, "Is it my fault that we can't participate in the Champions League?" Manchester City and Crystal Palace were also dragged into the fray and criticized.

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The two world-class coaches were arguing incessantly, and the players were equally fierce in their verbal battles.

Manchester United's center-back and vice-captain, Maguire, also expressed his agreement with Mourinho's views in an interview, believing that the schedule was too unfavorable for them.

In response, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson mocked Maguire for acting like a woman, saying, "As a professional player, complaining about the schedule is, in my opinion, very unmanly. The schedule is fair; everyone has times when they don't like the schedule. What do you do then? Does everyone have to change the schedule when they're unhappy? Today Manchester United can request a change to the schedule, so tomorrow other teams can do the same. Wouldn't that create chaos in the entire league?"

In response to Henderson's sarcasm towards his teammate, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes retorted: "Liverpool players shouldn't be talking nonsense. They are clearly the beneficiaries of the schedule. We are just fighting for our legitimate rights."

Liverpool academy graduate Trent Alexander-Arnold quipped: "This is the first time I've seen a league leader so petty about something so small. It seems they know very well that facing us at Anfield is a terrifying thing."

Firmino said: "If I were a Manchester United player, I would shut up during this time, rest and train properly, instead of complaining about not having enough rest time while spending my rest time in the media."

Some Manchester United players also expressed confidence. For example, Rashford believed they would win away from home, telling reporters, "There's nothing more exciting than beating our arch-rivals away from home to win the league title!"

Robertson responded, "Nothing is more exciting than beating your arch-rivals at home."

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Of course, in the war of words, Salah is a name that no one can avoid.

Before the match, some Liverpool media outlets published articles criticizing Manchester United's poaching tactics against other teams, arguing that it was damaging to the entire Premier League and the competitiveness of British football.

"...Manchester United has invented a trick: if they can't beat an opponent on the pitch, they can use money in the transfer market to win them over, poaching their key players. This strengthens their own team and weakens their competitors—a brilliant two-birds-with-one-stone strategy," the Liverpool media outlet sarcastically remarked.

Some commentators believe that the news of Salah's impending transfer to Manchester United, which broke before Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final match, was a premeditated move by Manchester United to disrupt Liverpool's Champions League preparations and undermine the team's morale.

Manchester United's media outlets vehemently refuted these claims. The Guardian published an interview with Manchester United CEO Giareta Cristiano, in which the club stated: "...I want to remind Liverpool, who are always spreading rumors, that it wasn't Manchester United who first officially announced this news, but rather Liverpool. And it wasn't our Manchester media and journalists who first broke the news, but some third-rate tabloid... To say that Manchester United did this to hurt Liverpool is utter nonsense. As a dominant force in the Premier League for thirty years, do we really need to care about a small team that has never even competed in the Premier League?"

"...Now the Liverpool media is hyping up Salah's transfer again, simply to find excuses for their upcoming failures. They're directing all the hatred at Manchester United. I think there's a very bad trend in England, which is the unbridled smearing of Manchester United... Liverpool believes that Manchester United's poaching practices are harming the interests of British football, but in reality, it's Liverpool themselves who are poaching players!"

"...Liverpool media always boasts about their youth academy, as if the entire Liverpool first team is made up of players from their academy. But look at their starting lineup, besides Trent Alexander-Arnold, who else is a product of Liverpool's youth academy? On the contrary, Manchester United, which they have been smearing and attacking, has three players from their youth academy: Rashford, Greenwood, and Bellingham. In addition, players like McTominay and Elanga have gradually established themselves in Manchester United's first team."

"Besides those players who have established themselves in Manchester United's first team, there are many more Manchester United academy graduates playing for other Premier League clubs. Lingard, Drinkwater, Dean Henderson, Welbeck..."

Manchester's media rebuttal was sharp and to the point. In reality, Liverpool, like Manchester United, needs to poach players from various clubs to build their first team, which is a perfectly normal transfer activity. It's just that different perspectives lead to different interpretations.

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Amid the war of words, some media outlets even interviewed Salah, asking him if he had mixed feelings about the upcoming match.

Salah shook his head and said, "No. I'm a Liverpool player now, and my mission and goal is to help Liverpool win the championship. There's no word yet on my situation with Manchester United. Whether I stay at Liverpool next season, or transfer to Manchester United or some other team, who knows?"

Klopp declined to discuss topics related to Salah, saying, "Mohammed is still my player. What do you want me to say?"

In an interview, Arnold also declined to discuss Salah, but his intention wasn't to shield Salah from the media storm; rather, he simply disdained mentioning Salah's name. This Liverpool academy graduate, Salah's former winger and close partner on the wing, told reporters after media reports surfaced about Salah's potential transfer to Manchester United, "Don't mention that guy's name to me."

As a good friend of Salah, Robertson was naturally not spared by the media at this time, but his response was rather tactful. The Scottish left-back told reporters: "Everyone has the right to choose. Even if Mohammed really leaves Liverpool in the future, as his friend, all I can do is wish him well. But I also believe in his professionalism, and he will definitely give his all in the upcoming games."

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Bruno Fernandes, a close friend and rival of Salah, and considered by some media outlets to have played a pivotal role in Salah's saga, was not forgotten by the media either. At the pre-match press conference for this Manchester derby, many reporters approached him with questions, to which Bruno answered candidly.

“I’ve noticed the recent media reports, but I didn’t know about this matter before the media reports, let alone that I was involved in connecting people in it…”

"If Mohammed really joins Manchester United, I would be very happy to welcome him. It would be a wonderful outcome; we would get a great right winger, and Mohammed would get the championship honors he's always dreamed of. Speaking of which, I would also like to extend a sincere invitation to Mohammed: Brother, come to Manchester United, let's do something big together! There's no future in staying at Liverpool!"

Bruno's words drew protests from the Liverpool media, but Bruno didn't care. He laughed and said, "Where Mohammed goes is his own business, and no one can blame him for that. Of course, the timing of this news being exposed is indeed a bit... delicate, but it's not Mohammed's responsibility. I don't think everyone needs to dwell on this. Mohammed himself certainly didn't want things to turn out this way. Let's focus on the game. Honestly, leave the transfer market to the managers; this is about the football field..."

A reporter suddenly asked, "Would you like to go to Liverpool someday?"

Upon hearing this question, Bruno laughed and said, "How could that be? I don't even want to go to Real Madrid, why would I want to go to Liverpool? I've been a Manchester United fan since I was a child, and I'm very happy here. I've won everything here and earned the respect of all Manchester United fans. Under such circumstances, what reason would I have to go to Liverpool? To smash everything I've created and start all over again? I'm not crazy!"

(End of this chapter)